Select Appropriate Data Analysis Techniques

There are many well-developed methods available for conceptually or statistically analyzing the different kinds of data that can be gathered. When analyzing qualitative data, one can develop taxonomies or rubrics to group student comments collected by questionnaires and/or made in classroom discussions. The frequency of certain types of comments can be described, compared between categories, and investigated for change across time or differences between classes. Frequency data and chi-square analysis can supplement the narrative interpretation of such comments. For the analysis of quantitative data, a variety of statistical tests are available, ranging from the simple (t-tests) to the more complex (such as the use of factor analysis to develop scales).

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